From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

'It can't really be true, can it?'

Seeing that Professor McGonagall's expression had lost its previous worry, William couldn't help but speculate—however, he couldn't verify it.

But there's no need to verify anymore, because Professor McGonagall practically self-destructed.

After Lupin was assigned to communicate with Sirius, Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione intently.

“I’m sorry, Miss Granger, I should be arranging for you to transform into an Animagus now—but it’s too dangerous now. If you learn it and then expose yourself, it’s practically the same as running around with a huge bag of Galleons…that’s too unfair to you.”

“There’s still some time before the full moon, and I hope you can seriously consider the pros and cons—not registering means entering Azkaban, while registering means being watched by the whole world.”

"I must tell you that news of the potion has spread, and several nearby countries are beginning to show interest..."

-

"Researching werewolves?"

On the other side of the ocean, in Ephemeral City, Voldemort was studying the latest intelligence from Britain.

“A new wolfsbane potion…” He gave a cruel smile. “Has Hogwarts stooped so low as to have Potions professors substitute for students?”

"Ha... A Defense Against the Dark Arts professor neglects his job and goes off to make potions, that's dereliction of duty."

"Hopefully, when he falls before black magic in the future, he will be able to properly repent for his dereliction of duty."

A contemptuous smile appeared on his lips.

Once he got his hands on this intelligence, he knew that there was nothing to worry about in the British magical community.

He had initially been on high alert because of the attacks by Azkaban and then the Ministry of Magic, but those incompetents turned out to be even worse than he had imagined.

A Defense Against the Dark Arts professor goes to research potions, and the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, incompetent, take their anger out on the werewolves—a complete bunch of useless idiots.

'It's a bit of a waste that Graybury's dog died, but it wasn't an obedient dog after all…'

He didn't feel any regret at all; in fact, he felt a little smug.

"Lord Dark Lord".

"Hmm? What's wrong, Bertha?"

By Bertha's good fortune, he decided to give this loyal Death Eater a little more time.

"That's right, that's Professor William, who is famous for his teaching skills and even once set an exam record, for which he was awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class."

"Potion?"

Voldemort's eyes turned a deep crimson.

"No, self-defense... that is, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts course."

……

An unusual silence followed—Voldemort's eyes were frighteningly red, then he took the documents from Bertha's hands.

'Funny, really fun…'

'Once I've conquered Hogwarts, I'll have him teach a few classes at Ifamony...and see if he really can make all the students pass the exams, as those people say.'

"Bertha".

"Yes, I am here, Lord Dark Lord."

"Gather as many Animagus as possible—we need to use the new potion to force the werewolves here to join us."

"Yes, Lord Dark Lord."

Chapter 581 A Mess

"Good news, good news!"

In the small town on the banks of the Milk River, Gilbert, beaming with delight, handed a piece of intelligence to his headmaster.

"The corrupt and decadent Magic Council has finally met its challenger! The people now have great trust in a wizard named Susan, and under her leadership, the wizards who are trying to save our magical world have united!"

"I can't imagine how she did it!"

Gilbert paced excitedly around the room, his face beaming with excitement.

They had been hiding in this border town for far too long, and on this rare opportunity to venture out and gather information, they heard such exciting news that they simply couldn't contain themselves.

“I’m going to support her, even though it’s risky,” he stammered, almost incoherently. “We can’t just hide like this. We have to tell them that Iphamoni has fallen into the hands of the Purifiers, and that the terrible situation in the entire magical world started from there…”

“Yes,” he said, looking at his headmaster, “I have to go, at least to expose the secret before they mess everything up…”

"What were you going there for?"

The old principal glanced at the professor he trusted most, and while asking a question, took the intelligence from his hand.

"Let more silent people support them! Let more people join the battle to protect the magical world!"

"Fighting against whom? The Magic Council? Those who currently occupy Iphamoni?"

The old headmaster carefully examined the intelligence, leaving Gilbert standing there for quite some time before finally frowning.

"No, you can't go."

"why?"

“Because she’s too weak,” the old headmaster said, placing the intelligence report on the table. “I looked at the propaganda about her, and they’re going to great lengths to portray her as an ordinary wizard from the common people…”

“I didn’t have any prejudice against her because of her background,” the old headmaster said slowly, as he thought for a moment, “but she came to prominence too late…”

“Looking at those propaganda reports, it’s true that she led a large number of people to thwart the purges’ plot. She even became the leader of the largest resistance force and the leader of the opposition—but, my professor, do you think our opponents are the kind of people who wouldn’t kill?”

"What if—I mean—what if she were assassinated?"

“If she were assassinated, the resistance organization affiliated with her would collapse, and that wouldn’t be difficult at all—if that happened, everything would be like a bubble, easily popped and leaving nothing behind.”

"... "

"The leader...yes...the leader..."

The old principal hesitated, then, as if he had made up his mind, said, "I have an extremely dangerous mission now, my professor."

"Please speak, Principal."

"Go and overthrow the Magic Congress."

???

Gilbert froze, never imagining that his headmaster would say such a thing.

"Yes, they can't withstand the overthrow of the Magic Congress, so we need to detonate the bomb ourselves."

The old headmaster sighed. The Magic Congress was about to repeat his mistakes, so he had to resort to a risky move to minimize the harm.

“Go and contact the thirteen families, and after you have their approval, write directly to Iphamoni and recommend that lady Bertha as the new president of the Magical Congress. I’d like to know—if they get what they want most, what else do they need?”

"Can…"

“There’s no point in saying ‘buts’ anymore. We can’t just watch internal strife happen again and again. As for Susan—” the old headmaster hesitated for a moment, “when the Auror’s office starts to rise up, we should use superstition to warn her to escape in advance.”

"No, I'll do it..."

He shook his head again. "Your mission is too dangerous, far too dangerous..."

“I’m sorry,” the old headmaster said, looking at his most admired professor. Suddenly, he cast a petrification spell, pinning the professor to the spot. Then, to the professor’s horror, he picked up the professor’s wand and, along his right arm, cast a vicious black spell.

The arm detached from the old principal's body with remarkable ease, leaving no trace of blood, only a pitch-black mark at the wound site.

“I’m sorry, Gilbert, though I’d ​​rather die, I still have some things to do—but my wand, my arm, and this ring should be enough to make them trust you…”

His lips turned deathly pale from this dark magic. "You're better at memory magic than I am; you can fool him..."

“Go, Professor Elgin, your responsibility is great…”

-

"Prices have returned to normal..."

"Although the price of Animagus hair remains high, public confidence in the Ministry of Magic has returned after that plan was implemented..."

When William returned from get out of class, he glanced at the prices on the black market and felt a surge of pleasure.

The aftermath of the attack on the Ministry of Magic is slowly dissipating, and the public's perception is that the Ministry of Magic, which is able to begin welfare programs amidst the chaos, is still in control—because the Ministry of Magic is still doing the right thing.

This is the most important change brought about by the release of the improved version of the wolfsbane medicine.

As for the other things—like William acquiring badges and master certifications from the Apothecaries Guild—those were just side effects, a bonus. The biggest change they brought was that William could practice his cursive signature and then automatically double the price when he signed it on potion bottles.

Of course, if it's a wolfsbane medicine, then given the market frenzy, its value would likely increase by three to seven times.

However, he doesn't have much time to practice those fancy signatures right now—the Ministry of Magic's first phase of the project has already begun, Rita and Sirius's hair has been delivered, and he's just waiting for him to study the proportions of the Animagus before submitting the potion before the next full moon.

To reiterate—potions are highly effective, and the side effects of finished potions are generally acceptable as long as they don't cause permanent damage related to dark magic.

'Take one last look at the black market prices in the US before starting work…'

He flipped through the rows of prices and found that they had not only not risen, but had actually fallen.

'That Susan is real…'

William exclaimed in admiration, "Adversity strengthens a nation. This wizard, whose level is unknown, is not only powerful but also skilled in organization."

His strength goes without saying—just look at the curse he carries. Susan was too weak and would have been killed by the Dark Lord long ago. How could she be allowed to be so arrogant until now?

Needless to say, organizational strength is also crucial. Resources cannot be obtained simply by asking for them; relying on love alone is not advisable. Strong organizational capabilities are essential for the proper operation of an organization and for meeting its material needs.

That requires innate talent and a certain amount of later training; otherwise, anyone would be overwhelmed. Dumbledore was already a genius enough, but when Professor McGonagall resigned, he was just as helpless.

'I wonder if Dumbledore has investigated this carefully—but then again, the entire wizarding world is probably watching Susan right now… how did she suddenly appear?'

Thaksin Shinawatra appeared in the midst of the crisis and turned the tide, but his expertise in logistics made Thaksin a bit unsettling.

'Forget it, there's no use in worrying... Even if the other party really has a problem, it involves international affairs... Let's focus on improving the students' overall quality first... The classroom for the next class hasn't been cleaned yet...'

-

"What are you doing here?!"

The Auror who met Gilbert paused for a moment, then decisively pulled him aside.

The Fontana family name is as useful as ever. Although Gilbert and the old principal are both wanted by the authorities, they are still treated differently.

"I'm here to solve a problem; take me to a secluded place."